Hashiba Hikaru gazed at her face and asked softly, "Kushida, do you know how Horikita's grades are?"
It was a question he already knew the answer to. He'd heard about Horikita's grades from Ichinose the last time they spoke—and Ichinose had heard it from Kushida.
Horikita Suzune's grades were excellent, and she wasn't weak in any subject.
"Her grades? Horikita's grades are really good. I think she gets high marks in every subject."
"Then this should be easy."
Hashiba Hikaru looked seriously at the short-haired girl in front of him and began explaining the plan he'd come up with.
"Although Horikita usually likes to keep to herself, the fact that she was willing to pay points last time shows that she cares about the class."
The young man spoke unhurriedly. "Didn't you just say that some students in class aren't paying much attention during lessons? You could take the lead and organize a study group, then invite Horikita to tutor everyone."
"You could help out during the sessions, too. I'm sure that would bring you closer to Horikita, and eventually you could become friends."
"Do you really think it'll go that smoothly?"
Kushida thought of that woman's constant air of looking down on everyone. How could she possibly agree to teach the class? Even Kushida herself wouldn't want to do something like that.
"Well, I think it depends on what you do. If you don't take the initiative, I'm afraid you'll never find a good opportunity," Hashiba Hikaru said, his expression warm, as though he were genuinely doing everything he could to help.
"When you invite Horikita, try to persuade her a little. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Do you really think that'll work?" Kushida still looked a little worried.
"Of course. Since you're so dedicated to helping the class, I'm sure you'll be able to win Horikita over."
Seeing how sincere the young man looked, Kushida couldn't help weighing the pros and cons of his plan.
Ever since she'd seen Hashiba Hikaru deceive the upperclassman, her impression of him had changed. She suspected he might be just like her, hiding a side of himself that no one had ever seen.
So she didn't believe he was offering such enthusiastic advice out of pure kindness. He definitely wanted something from her.
But then again, she figured there was no harm in trying. She was desperate to learn more about Horikita's situation. If Horikita really knew that secret, Kushida had to prepare in advance. She needed to get Horikita Suzune expelled as soon as possible.
As for Hashiba, she'd keep a close eye on him. She absolutely wouldn't fall into his trap.
"Then I'll give it a try. I don't know if it'll work, but I hope Horikita will agree to help everyone. Lately, the class hasn't been taking their studies very seriously. It'd be great if we could change that."
Kushida gave herself an energetic pep talk, then smiled brightly at Hashiba Hikaru. "Thanks for helping me come up with an idea, Hashiba. It's really great having you around."
"I wasn't doing it for nothing. I'm eating your food, aren't I?" Hashiba Hikaru chuckled, pointing out that he'd already been paid. "Besides, I helped because I want to be friends with you, Kushida."
"Really?"
Kushida Kikyo gave him a delighted smile, then quickly assured him that she'd already thought of Hashiba Hikaru as a friend.
"Of course. And you know, Ichinose thinks you're wonderful, too. She mentions you to me sometimes."
That was complete nonsense. Hashiba Hikaru had never been interested in idle chatter, and most of his conversations with Ichinose Honami had been about plans for the class competition. Even if Ichinose did mention Kushida, it wouldn't have been to him.
At that, curiosity appeared in Kushida Kikyo's eyes. She hurriedly asked, "What does Honami say about me?"
"She says you're always thinking about the class and that you're a really impressive person."
Hashiba Hikaru's manner and tone were perfectly sincere. After all, lies were free.
"Honestly, I'm not nearly as great as you make me sound, Hashiba." A faint blush appeared on Kushida's pretty face, though it was hard to tell whether she was really embarrassed or just pretending.
"Anyway, I think you should try what I suggested and invite Horikita to hold a study group. It might help your relationship with her move forward."
"Mm-hm, I'll give it a try."
They ate and chatted, and thanks to both of them putting on an act, the meal was remarkably pleasant.
About an hour later, they finished eating, and Kushida Kikyo and Hashiba Hikaru left the Family Restaurant.
The young man glanced at the Stock Interface. Even though he'd suggested holding a study group to help Kushida make friends, the price of the Kushida Kikyo Stock hadn't changed at all. That could only mean that making promises wasn't effective with Kushida Kikyo.
But it didn't matter. Hashiba Hikaru planned to message Horikita Suzune when he got back that evening and tell her to accept Kushida's invitation to the study group. After all, he still had Horikita Manabu's contact information. He was sure he could use it to get that cold, black-haired girl to do what he wanted.
This was the plan he'd just come up with for handling the two different stocks, Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo: push both of them forward at the same time.
Whether it worked would depend on what happened next.
After dinner with Kushida, Hashiba Hikaru planned to head off on his own. He knew Ichinose Honami was meeting Sakayanagi here today, and now that he'd finished what he needed to do, it would be best to leave quickly.
"That's it for today, then. I'll head back to the dorm. What about you, Kushida?" Hashiba Hikaru asked.
"I'm going shopping with a friend, so I won't be walking back with you."
Kushida glanced at her phone. She always had plenty of people getting in touch with her—no wonder she was such a social butterfly, connected to students across several classes.
"Mm-hm. See you later, then."
Just as Hashiba Hikaru was about to part ways with Kushida Kikyo, a familiar figure appeared in front of him. The next moment, a cheerful greeting reached his ears.
"Good afternoon, Honami!"
"..."
Hashiba Hikaru raised his head awkwardly. The person standing in front of him was, of course, Ichinose Honami.
Wait, weren't you supposed to be at the café on the other side?
"Hashiba?"
The girl's pretty face had lost its usual gentle expression. Ichinose stared at Hashiba Hikaru without smiling, then began inspecting his outfit.
He was dressed in neat casual clothes and seemed to have fixed his hair. Kushida Kikyo, standing beside him, was also in casual clothes and looked adorable.
What were the two of them doing together?
Could they be... on a date?!
No way I'm crashing
When Hashiba Hikaru saw Ichinose Honami standing across from him, he couldn't help feeling a little helpless.
Keyaki Mall was huge. Running into each other here had to be fate playing a joke on him.
He decided to play dumb and smiled as he greeted the girl. "Good afternoon, Ichinose."
"What are you two... doing?"
"It's about the same thing as last time, remember? You know about it, don't you?" Hashiba Hikaru softened his tone as much as he could and calmly explained, "Kushida wanted to thank me for explaining the hidden rules to her, so she invited me to eat with her today."
"I didn't expect to run into you right after we finished. What a coincidence."
"Yeah, it looks like Honami and I are destined to meet. We actually ran into you here." Kushida Kikyo made use of her social butterfly instincts and greeted the girl with a smile.
"Is that so? What a coincidence... Hehe."
After hearing Hashiba Hikaru's explanation, Ichinose Honami knew this might have been nothing more than an ordinary social outing. Even so, an unbearable feeling welled up inside her, and her expression darkened.
"Um... Inogashira's asking me to hurry up, so I'll get going."
Kushida Kikyo would have liked to stick around and watch, but she was good at reading the mood. The moment she noticed something off about Ichinose Honami's expression, she decided to make a quick exit.
"Okay, bye, Kushida."
Once Kushida Kikyo had left, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami headed back from Keyaki Mall together. Seeing the look on the girl's face, the young man took the lead and started a conversation.
"Ichinose, did your information-gathering go well today?"
"Mm-hm. I have a pretty good idea of how Sakayanagi feels. We also chatted about some girls' stuff, and the atmosphere was really pleasant."
Although she was still bothered by what she'd seen, Ichinose was always willing to answer Hashiba Hikaru's questions.
"That's good. Let's review everything together tomorrow." Hashiba Hikaru looked ahead, his voice calm. "I'll share what I learned with you, too."
"What you learned?"
The girl's dull eyes immediately brightened at those words, and she asked without thinking, "What did you learn?"
"Information about Class D, of course. What else?"
Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly. He'd figured out that the best way to reassure Ichinose Honami was to steer their conversation toward the class competition. It was easy to get the girl to focus on something else that way.
He could also rearrange the way he presented things. What he knew was that Kushida Kikyo wanted to be friends with Horikita Suzune, but he could say that he'd suggested holding a study group. He could even turn it into a plan to help Class B.
The important thing wasn't whether the information was true. It was putting Ichinose Honami at ease.
Hashiba Hikaru had a pretty good idea why Ichinose was upset. It was probably because she'd seen him go out of his way to change into casual clothes so he could have a meal alone with Kushida.
This was something she'd known about already, and it was perfectly normal in social circles. Still, if he didn't clear things up, she might start overthinking it again.
Hashiba Hikaru couldn't take their relationship any further just yet, but it was important to put the girl's mind at ease. After all, he still held a large amount of her stock.
"My private meeting with Kushida today wasn't just a simple meal." Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the girl's profile. As soon as he'd mentioned what he learned, her expression had softened considerably. It really had worked fast.
"As for the details, I'll go home and organize everything first. Can I tell you tomorrow?"
"Mm-hm. I trust you, Hashiba."
"Didn't I say before that I'd leave the task of making plans for the class to you, Ichinose? But I keep finding myself looking for information without thinking. Does that count as breaking our agreement?" Hashiba Hikaru dangled his bait.
"Of course not!"
Ichinose Honami's pretty face turned serious. She gazed intently at the young man and said, "I know you're always working for the class, Hashiba. I'll believe you no matter what you do. And as for that promise..."
"Only the two of us know about it. If I say you haven't broken it, then you haven't."
As she said this, the girl seemed a little embarrassed, a faint blush hovering over her pretty face.
"That's good. I thought you looked upset just now because you were angry that I'd contacted Kushida to gather information without telling you. Now I can finally relax."
Hashiba Hikaru even made a show of patting his chest, as if he'd truly breathed a sigh of relief.
All of this fell into Ichinose Honami's eyes, and her heart began to tremble.
Being assigned to Class B with Hashiba really is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me. We'll definitely stay together forever and ever.
"Honestly, why would you think that, Hashiba? You can do whatever you want. Just tell me afterward. We're the closest of partners, and I'd never blame you."
Ichinose Honami smiled brightly. Her lovely eyes fixed the young man's image in their depths, as though it would never fade away.
"Is that so? I didn't realize I meant so much to you. I'm flattered."
"Mm-hm. You've always been important to me."
Though Ichinose Honami was embarrassed, she answered with complete sincerity. "Being assigned to Class B with you is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me."
"Hahaha, me too. It's really nice being in Class B with you, Ichinose."
Hashiba Hikaru gave an awkward laugh. He meant that part. Having someone by his side who was wholeheartedly devoted to the class made it much easier for him to make plans.
"Mm. If we get the chance, I'd like to treat you to a meal sometime, too, Hashiba. Just the two of us..." Ichinose Honami suddenly turned her head, her voice tinged with bashfulness. "Hashiba... what do you think?"
"Sure. But I feel like you're always the one treating me. I'm practically living off you. Let me take you out next time as a thank-you for last time."
"But..." The girl seemed to have more to say, but Hashiba Hikaru cut her off.
"No refusing, or I won't go."
"All right, then. You can decide when. I'll be there on time."
Ichinose Honami ran her fingers through the pink hair that fell over her chest, a look of anticipation appearing on her pretty face.
"Got it."
They returned to the dorm together. Ichinose's room was on the sixth floor, while Hashiba Hikaru's was on the third, so they rode the elevator together for a while before the young man got off first.
Thinking back to the gentle expression on the girl's face when they parted, Hashiba Hikaru finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly checked his system interface. The price of the Ichinose Honami Stock was still 150. It hadn't changed.
"I feel like I'm getting better and better at lying. Am I really going to crash and burn someday?"
The young man scratched his head, took out his key, and opened his dorm room door.
The troublesome Kushida Kikyo
After returning to his dorm room, Hashiba Hikaru took a shower. Then, wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt, he stood by his desk and picked up his phone.
Before you continue